1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus having a plurality of portable units, and in particular, to a method for making a call reservation and carrying on a telephone conversation, using a portable unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the art to enable a facsimile device to communicate with a portable unit for various purposes, and there are a number of different communication techniques for enabling the facsimile device to communicate with a portable unit, as exemplified by: U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,073 to Isaac Weiser et al. entitled Telephone Line Switching Interface Unit; U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,624 to Hiroshi Makita entitled Communication System For Transmitting To A Portable Receiver Data Indicative Of Received Image Or Voice Signals; U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,991 to Teruo Motoyanagi entitled Image Communication System Including A Mobile Telephone Set And A Facsimile Device; U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,312 to Takaho Koshiishi entitled Facsimile Machine Connectable To Various Communication Equipments; U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,782 to Osamu Kurokawa et al. entitled Terminal Connecting Device Having An Auto Data Receiving Function; U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,485 to Motohiko Hayashi entitled Facsimile Apparatus Comprising Cordless Telephone Set; U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,763 to Takeshi Namekawa et al. entitled Communication Apparatus With Wireless Intercommunication; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,545 to Tetsuya Kagawa entitled Facsimile Device And Communication Control Method Thereof.
I have contemplated providing portable units of a facsimile apparatus with a call reservation function which enables the user to make a call reservation during transmission and reception of image data so as to automatically establish a voice communication path (or speech path) to a facsimile of the other party upon completion of transmitting and receiving the image data, so that the user can conduct a telephone conversation with the other party after the image data is completely transmitted and received. Such a call reservation function is advantageous in that the user can talk with the other party over the telephone immediately after transmission and reception of the image data, even without dialing the telephone number for the other party.
In a facsimile apparatus with a plurality of portable units, having the call reservation function will allow the user to make the call reservation, and talk with the other party over the telephone, using the portable unit to communicate with the base unit of the facsimile apparatus. Therefore, when the user is away from the base unit of the facsimile apparatus, instead of him or her having to move to the place where the facsimile apparatus is located to make the call in order to talk with the other party over the telephone, the user can make a call reservation from the portable unit. Portable units of a conventional facsimile apparatus do not support such a call reservation function, though they provide the other functions for setting facsimile transmission and reception. Thus, my invention overcomes the problem of the user having to move to the place where the base unit of the facsimile apparatus is located in order to make the call, which results in the user having to remain with the base unit so that he or she can conduct the telephone conversation on the reserved call. Accordingly, my invention enables the user to make the call reservation, and conduct the telephone conversation, using the portable units.